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Snowshot Insulated Jacket

From pizza-ing prodigies to budding GS champions—if they're a kid who has to be dragged off the mountain at the end of the day, they'll love the Patagonia Snowshot Insulated Jacket. It's fully waterproof, with an H2No Performance Standard shell that sheds everything from summit flurries to heavy powder-day snows. Warm synthetic insulation keeps them toasty on slow lift rides and frozen days, and a removable powder skirt keeps the snow out when they take a tumble or two. The hood removes when there's nothing but bluebird days on the horizon, while the media-compatible chest pocket lets them (quietly) rock out to their favorite tunes as they zip by you.

For holding maps and snacks they've got two standard hand pockets, and a convenient pass pocket to help them cruise through lift lines. The sleeves have an articulated design for a free range of motion, and sport a grow-fit feature that increases their length by two inches, helping you keep up with unexpected growth-spurts to get in more seasons of use. When the growing gets too much and it's time to hand it over to a cousin or sibling, there's a built-in hand-me-down ID label to keep track of official transfers of ownership.

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Very Well Made But Not for a Helmet.

Familiarity: I returned this product before using it

Fit: Runs large

I recently ordered and subsequently returned the Snowshot Jacket. While the jacket appears very well made and is a perfect fit for my eight-year-old son (size small), the hood is not helmet-compatible. Not even close. The hood is so small it barely fits over his head without a helmet—or even a hat. Why would Patagonia make a ski jacket for kids in 2019 that is not helmet-compatible? Every kid at every ski resort is wearing a helmet these days. Every other major manufacturer (Obermeyer, Helly Hanson, North Face, and Spyder) for kids ski clothing all offer helmet-compatible jackets. The ability to pull the hood over the helmet and then zip up the collar is ideal protection for cold windy days. This seems like a huge oversight and makes the jacket pretty useless for harsh conditions on the slopes.